About Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. It occurs in all age groups, but mainly adults, and it affects about three times as many women as men.

There are several types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants.

Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers that has increased in incidence in recent years. It has become the 5th most common cancer in women.

About 52,070 people, including 37,810 women and 14,260 men, will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2019 in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1,150 women and 1,020 men (2,170 total) will die of thyroid cancer in 2019.

Signs to discuss with your physician:

• You feel a lump in your neck, or your doctor may notice a nodule in your neck during a routine checkup. Most of these thyroid nodules are benign (noncancerous).
• Some people first notice swollen lymph nodes, fullness in the neck, voice changes, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.